By Landing Ceesay
Chief Inspector Landing Nasso, the lead investigator in the murder trial of Shakina Chinedu, a British citizen, testified in court that the accused, Augustine Bangura, confessed to both the murder and the theft of Chinedu’s belongings.
During his testimony, Chief Inspector Nasso presented various items allegedly recovered from Bangura that belonged to Chinedu. He stated that these items were recovered with the cooperation of Bangura.
Bangura is charged with murder and theft under sections 187 and 252 of the Criminal Code Revised Laws of the Gambia 2009.
According to the prosecution, on February 14, 2024, in Sinchang Village, West Coast Region of the Gambia, Bangura allegedly killed Chinedu by striking her at the back of her neck with a hammer. Additionally, on the same day and location, Bangura is accused of unlawfully appropriating items from Chinedu, including D80,000.00, two laptops, a tablet, flash drives, keys, a Canon camera, and various correspondence cards from her bag and apartment.
State Counsel Fatoumatta Drammeh asked Chief Inspector Nasso, “Apart from the items you recovered at the deceased home, what other items did you recover during your investigation?”
Chief Inspector Nasso responded, “My lord, during the investigation, the accused person (Augustine Bangura) confessed to the killing of the deceased (Shakina Chinedu) and stealing her terms or articles from her residence or house. Namely; One golden Samsung Tablet, One Black Smartwatch, Two black Samsung mobile phones of the deceased, a Samsung A10, and A14, One Dell Laptop, with a charger, One HP laptop with a charger, One Canon black camera with a zooming lens and a charger, two memory cards, 16GB and 4GB, and one small handbag, respectively.
“The accused informed us that the properties of the deceased were stolen by him and told us that he sold these items to one mobile shopkeeper at Bakoteh shopping Mall to one Mr. Saikou Samasa, and one Mr. Ebrima Bah, whom the Canon camera was recovered from and charger also.”
When asked if he could recognize these items in court, Chief Inspector Nasso affirmed, “My Lord, as the Lead Investigator, if I see these items recovered, I will be able to recognize them,” Chief Inspector Nasso told the court.
The recovered items were handed over to Chief Inspector Nasso for identification, and he confirmed them as the items allegedly stolen and sold by Bangura.
Counsel Drammeh then applied to tender the recovered items into evidence and mark them as exhibits. The defense team did not object to the admissibility of these items, and Hon. Justice Ebrima Jaiteh admitted them as evidence and marked them as exhibits.
Counsel Drammeh asked Chief Inspector Nasso, “Mr. Nasso, after recovering all these items, what did you do next as the lead investigator?”
Chief Inspector Nasso replied, “My lord, after recovering these items of the deceased, the shopkeepers were all arrested and their statements were taken, a case file was compiled and finally handed over to the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Chambers for further legal advice on the issue.”
The case was adjourned to July 29, 2024, for cross-examination.